Red Roses
by inkywings
Summary: Heaven is meant for this angel, but Hell steals him away. Pain and hopelessness are all he can find, lurking deep within the shadows of his own mind. Oneshot from Sora's POV, angst, gore.


**I wrote this about a year ago, I think. I remember the nightmare that spawned the idea for this one-shot. I wrote this when I was feeling horrible, and it's sort of ironic that that's how I feel right now. This story doesn't have much of a point except to put Sora into a nightmare. So if this appeals to you, read on. If not, I don't care.**

_It was so cold..._

His eyes scanned over nothing, the cold grasping with an infinite hold on his heart with it's bone-shilling fingers, nails screeching along his flesh. His breath came out in shaking whispers that drove trembling waves up his face as he walked forward, trying to keep himself from freezing in place. The moist breath froze in tiny crystals on his face, hanging over his eyes in dark clouds, as he walked on ground that he wasn't even sure existed.

_Nothing feels right...  
_  
It was pulling him under, deep into the darkness, seeping under his clothes and tickling his skin with softly whispered dark promises of an everlasting Hell.. They say there was a light in the dark; you just needed to find the switch. Sora was looking for the switch, one he'd been so sure of his entire life. Azure eyes looked around hopelessly, a sick feeling welling up inside of him.

_It's dragging you under..._

He'd never felt so... hopeless. His soul was crying out in pain as it fought its way and condensed into twisted thoughts, not knowing which way to turn anymore so that they filled Sora's entire being. His blood raced through veins, trying to make it on a deadline to his heart that was growing colder and colder with every breath the young man took. He felt like he was asleep, that fuzzy uneasiness settling over his body and into it, but he knew he was damn well awake. This couldn't be real. What he felt... was _nothing_.

_Nothing's working, everything's dying..._

His feet echoed hollowly through empty space that seemed to have no end. With a cry of frustration, he ran forward as fast as possible, determined to find something. Anything to save him. The problem was he had no idea what he was running from. The darkness was his enemy, the light was his guard... but what was it guarding him from? Was there even a light in here anymore?

This wasn't even darkness... This was... this was...

_Hollow_

His pace quickened as did his breath and he felt his bones shrieking in protest, straining in their sockets. But he had to keep on going. He wouldn't let the darkness take him, no matter how hopeless he felt. And he wouldn't let the emptiness fill him.

_Running away, but running from what?_

Nothing was right! He was the ultimate light, he could do anything! He could defeat anything! But what was his enemy? His legs were starting to slow down; it was physically impossible for him to keep on going. He felt something ahead of him, vibrating through the empty silence. Reaching out a shaking hand, he skimmed the pads of his fingertips across it; he felt what seemed to be glass, cool and smooth o the touch. Running a palm across it, he discovered it covered the entire area. The barrier curved and Sora followed it. But the glass... it lead right behind him.

Sora's heart skipped a beat. He felt to his right; glass; his left; glass. He was surrounded by it. Sora frantically walked in circles in place, feet stumbling over themselves once and once again, feeling around the confinement of cold, frozen fire; he was trapped.

_You must defeat it... but what's your enemy?_

Sora growled in annoyance, slamming his fists into the glass in a last ditch attempt to escape. His clenching knuckles met nothing but solid, and it pierced his skin like tiny needles, frozen solid and spreading numbness through him as he hit it over and over again... over and over... and over... He was helpless. And right then and there, he felt it; pure hopelessness. He banged more, but the prison kept on getting smaller. Nothing was right! He couldn't even control it... he didn't even know what he wanted to control of!

What he assumed was solid beneath him began to give a jolt. Staring downwards, but not seeing anything, he heard a crack. With a whooshing sound, fragments of glass blew upwards, streaking his frost-bitten skin with jagged edges with sliced open damaged skin. Frozen air blew over his wounds, taking away their sharp pain and spreading icy numbness over torn flesh. His stomach lifted a good foot as he plummeted. From the lack of pain he knew should be there, the surprise, the fear, he wanted to scream. But he couldn't. He couldn't even force the tiniest of sounds from his chapped lips that were agape in a silent cry. He tried to let a noise escape from his throat, but a block kept him from doing so as he forever plummeted to the ground.

_Heaven would like you, but Hell is closer..._

Sora felt his feet hit solid ground. His insides squirmed with an unknown power, and he felt something inside of him wriggle for escape. It wasn't anything he'd ever felt before... his soul. Something was terribly wrong. He looked down at the lighted platform he was standing on, it's glowing bathing over him and scrubbing away the numbness which gave entryway for blood that now seeped freely through puncture holes along his legs and arms. It was light, but it was bitter. It wasn't real light, just a trick played on him and his heart. But by who? Confusion ran through his head as he stepped forward on only God knows what. But was there a God? Sora wasn't so sure anymore...  
_  
It saved my life, but raped my soul... _

His eyes grew slightly at the spots of black wriggling on the platform. He raised his hands to summon forth a weapon of mass destruction that itched at the frays of his heart, it having a heart of it's own, but nothing came. Sora could only stand frozen to the spot and watch as shadows erupted from the ground and began to swirl around him. His insides were ice as he stood frozen in place, unable to move. His frame shook in fear, yet a single cry would not be heard from his lips. A shadow brushed against his leg, another whishing by his neck and raising goose bumps, fine hairs standing up at the nape of his neck. A cold lick sent millions of shivers down his spine as Sora shut his eyes shut tightly, the backs of his eyes stinging furiously. His heart clenched in his chest, a rising symphony of thrills and chills igniting flames along his skin that seared his frozen skin that was already trembling from bittersweet light.

He felt them slowly crawling up his body, and he kept his eyes clamped shut. Their coldness spread up his skin like barbs, nothing protecting them from the bitterness that spread like wildfire. The ground below turned into a thick liquid as the shadows gently pushed him down, down beneath the darkness, caressing him with lethal prayers and sharp talons.

_You want to save me, you want to hurt me..._

Sora opened his eyes to see that the shadows were gone, but the portal was still pulling him down. Thick black ropes spindled from underneath him, linking over his chest and shoulders, weaving over his legs and arms. He scraped away frantically at the black chained lace but only succeeded in attaching it to his fingers. It sucked away at his skin as Sora let out an unheard whimper of pain, fright interlacing the silent tone. His stomach had a ten pound weight in it, dragging it further and further below, darkness eating away at his sanity and entire being. But they weren't eating away at just his skin and bone... it was seeping deeper and deeper into his heart, polluting his spirit, slowly disintegrating away something he'd grown so accustomed to it felt impossible that it was being sucked away.

He twisted and turned as only his neck and head remained above it now. His torso was contorted, ensnared in darkness' clutches. He had no idea as to what lay below his feet... and it scared him more then the prickling jabs that tore at him.

_Breaking my soul, taking me under..._

Sora could feel the air vibrating in the complete blankness underneath him, his feet dangling into nothingness. His head twisted this way and that, trying to put his mind somewhere else. But there was no where else to go, only here. Only hopelessness existed here, and it was here Sora feared he would stay. There was nothing he could do to keep the darkness from sucking away at his soul, his heart, drenching it in the cold. All he could do was feel it happen and not able to move a muscle.  
_  
What can you do when you are hopeless..._

He suddenly felt something, or many, jut at his legs. Tears poured down from his eyes as he felt claws ripping and tearing at the unprotected flesh, sharp edges trailing along delicately before sinking deeply. Pain was one thing, but it was another when you couldn't stop it. He felt cold daggers rip at his legs and ankles, scraping along white bone, tangling blood vessels and muscle, tissue and bone fragments, until it oozed with blood and poked through the slits in his skin, feeling them delve deep until his legs were wet from his own blood. He writhed and squirmed away, nothing to take away that feeling of pain. His head slowly slipped under and for the briefest of moments he felt sure that he was dead. Ice froze everything until he couldn't even feel the cold anymore. Blood was frozen, bones still, heart silent and unmoving. And then, realty crashed over him in a tidal wave, bringing with it darkness' minions. The little beasts launched themselves on top of him but he quickly swatted them away, hoping he could finally get some relief from the pain that they caused as they hung onto his with teeth, claws, hooking deep into his flesh and hanging on for Sora's dear life.

_But you can't run from your shadow!_

Sora darted forward limply, feet sliding in the red liquid that still poured freely from his fresh wounds, soaking through his sneakers and socks to lubricate the ground beneath him. The bitter stench filled his nostrils as he ran, sending his senses reeling and mind into a dizzying and frightful oblivion. The fiends still ripped at him, trying to drag him back into their eager clutches. But he wouldn't give up! He _couldn't _give up...

Hope... the moment he thought the word, and truly tried to believe in it, was when he felt it. It being his blood turning into thick mercury, his bones turning to steal, tiny little screws wrenching into his brain and nails scratching cryptic lines on his bones, writing out the tragedy laid before him. The feeling... the feeling...

_...suffocation..._

_...hopelessness..._

_...oblivion..._

_The greatest curse of all is to be hopeless..._

Sora choked back tears of pain and frustration as the little shadow minions leapt upon him. He had not even been aware of when he feel to the floor, gravity unrelenting on his broken frame. But they did not attack. They kept him down and Sora felt himself drift even further. His pathetic, and now useless, body went down below, sinking at an agonizingly slow pace. He closed his eyes and let the pain sweep over him in barreling waves that sent thick rain of needles piercing into his heart, his muscles, his soul.

_Say good night, but don't be afraid, it is your destiny..._

He opened his eyes a few moments, voicing a small groan as he did so, to discover that he was embedded in a warm light that felt refreshing to his light-deprived skin. A soft blanket of blue rolled overhead, punctured with fluffy dollops of white cloud. Looking upwards he closed his eyes again and sniffed, letting the scent fill his entire being and somewhat fill the emptiness that had managed to occupy him moments ago. He smelled roses. Looking straight ahead, Sora saw a beautiful sight; rows and rows of white roses, staining the landscape with its pungent fragrance and crystalline beauty..

Sora smiled softly, stepping closer and for once, forgetting his many injuries that paled in comparison to the gorgeous view. The numb haziness clouding his mind became a warm one, a pleasant one, making him hum gently in approval. The sound broke through the ice incasing his throat, biting through the cloud of bittersweet taste that had once filled his mouth. Fresh air blew over his wounds, soothing them with light's caresses and swiping away the pain with its gentle touch. Bending down slightly, he touched one of the many roses that grew around him with a gentle stroke of a finger. The flower seemed to quiver under his touch.

_Destiny revealed, your time has come..._

He took his finger away, but the flower seemed to lean towards him, missing the warm touch. Sora stepped back, smiling as he watched the rose move forwards even more, apparently persuaded by a breeze so gentle that Sora could not even feel it.. Looking around he saw even more of the roses starting to grow towards him, stems stretching and thorns gracefully swirling in dizzying patterns to avoid rubbing up against another. His smile faltered slightly as they kept on moving, and he became aware that the roses were not being blown by any wind...

_They seem to be growing on me_, Sora thought, his heart's last poor attempt at humor. Oh no... they were literally growing on him now. Sora's eyes widened, a quiet gasp rolling off of his tongue, as they crawled to his feet and began to twine themselves up his leg. White faces stared up at him, looking less glorious and more of a dead, haunting pale. He frantically stepped backwards, trying to avoid their branching stems. But they had already gotten a good grip on his ankles and he fell backwards, more of the deadly petals and intertwining stems, bouncy bud, cushioning his fall.

_It is your fate, do not fight it..._

Sora ripped at the flowers, trying to get them to release their hold on his legs. Blooms were shredded, petals torn and twirling gracefully before dipping into the pooling blood that flowed from his legs. But the more he got rid of them, the more came. They soon wrapped themselves around his wrists as well, binding them together tightly and keeping his arms out of the way. And where there were roses there were sure to be... thorns.

He redoubled his efforts to free himself as the thorns began to rip slowly into his skin, blood pouring through the new openings and staining the white roses a bright red. His eyes grew wide in pain as more wrapped themselves around his body, carving at his skin and hooking under, only to tear forwards and bringing flaps of skin along with it. They laced over his chest, yanking him down until his back his the squirming mass of tiny daggers and white roses. His blood splashed over them, dying the deadly roses the brightest of white. He wanted to scream in agony so much he felt his throat would burst from it's protest, and he would have if the roses hadn't gotten to his neck first.

_It isn't fair, it isn't right, you're alone now..._

The sky grew darker, darker, until it was completely blackened. Sora felt a terrible stabbing at his heart, white-hot blade digging deep and twisting, as he struggled more. A horrid painting of blood and marled flesh panned over his struggling body, which was slowly starting to slow under the burden of his pain. The roses were stained red now, dripping the color, no longer a pretty white. They were stained red by Sora's own blood.

The pain in his chest grew from agonizing to unbearable, something rising deep in his heart and struggling to be set free. And, just a final scream erupted from his mouth, along with a thick froth of steaming blood, a singled bud perched on a thorny stem sprouted from his chest, tunneling through his heart and twining around his ribcage. It settled over his bleeding heart, glistening and dripping a sweet red. And slowly, very slowly, it's petals dripped open, blooming into a full rose as red as Sora's vision grew. Small drips of crimson leaked from his heart, his body had stopped moving. Blue eyes, swimming with red, slowly blinked at the rose before him that seemed to be smirking at the boy as he lay dying.

_It was so dead..._

His sobs quieted until stopping completely, cheeks stiff with caking blood and dried trails of salty tears. The roses moved more slowly now, only gently scraping against his skin, before settling and holding him tightly in its unearthly embrace; Sora felt as if death itself was cradling him in its arms. Through unfocused eyes he saw they had made something of a bed, forming thick plates around his body, rising up to the height line of his body, the roses laying in perfect crosses over him, a beautiful lace of reds and greens. They'd made a perfect pattern, the bed soaked in blood, hiding Sora's broken body from sight. Roses crept over his face, squeezing gently, until only his eyes were available to recognize. They were drooping slowly, ready for an ever-lasting slumber.

_Nothing is going right..._

Breaths were harder and harder to find, and part of Sora really didn't want to find them anymore. Bitter thorns were twined in every blissful gulp of air he took, a curse that left him clinging to consciousness. As he exhaled one of his last, the last drops of blood flowed from his lips, his ears, his nose, the crashing of waves sounding in his ears, as it flowed away into the receding tide, dragging Sora's soul and life away from him.

_It's dragged me under..._

Sora closed his eyes as he felt the roses tighten their hold on him. He was alone. He was hopeless. He was dwindling down on his last reserves of inner strength. Chest heaves. Down for the last time. It took away all that he had ever wanted, draining it, letting loneliness and hopelessness settle down instead. The world seemed to spin as he breathed his last, blood-masked eyes finally closing as he felt death slowly take him away into a fatal embrace.

Heaven was meant for this angel... but Hell was so much closer.

And it goes on.

_It was so cold..._

His eyes scanned over nothing, the cold grasping with an infinite hold on his heart with it's bone-shilling fingers, nails screeching along his flesh. His breath came out in shaking whispers that drove trembling waves up his face as he walked forward, trying to keep himself from freezing in place. The moist breath froze in tiny crystals on his face, hanging over his eyes in dark clouds, as he walked on ground that he wasn't even sure existed.

_Nothing feels right...  
_  
It was pulling him under, deep into the darkness, seeping under his clothes and tickling his skin with softly whispered dark promises of an everlasting Hell.. They say there was a light in the dark; you just needed to find the switch. Sora was looking for the switch, one he'd been so sure of his entire life. Azure eyes looked around hopelessly, a sick feeling welling up inside of him.

_It's dragging you under..._

He'd never felt so... hopeless. His soul was crying out in pain as it fought its way and condensed into twisted thoughts, not knowing which way to turn anymore so that they filled Sora's entire being. His blood raced through veins, trying to make it on a deadline to his heart that was growing colder and colder with every breath the young man took. He felt like he was asleep, that fuzzy uneasiness settling over his body and into it, but he knew he was damn well awake. This couldn't be real. What he felt... was _nothing_.

_Owari_

**Basically, Sora died and he was supposed to go to 'Heaven' but he went to Hell instead. And my interpretation of Hell is living through your nightmares for eternity. The end wasn't a glitch, it was supposed to be there. Everything's repeating itself. Just thought I'd point it out.**

**Please review. I rewrote this after a long time, and was kinda sad to see that the writing wasn't all too different from my present style. Which means I haven't been improving much. Ah well. Tell me what you think, would you?**


End file.
